(CJES/IFEX) – Fyodor Bykhanov, a journalist with the television and radio company RIF based in Biisk, Altai territory, announced on the 5 April 2007 broadcast of the programme “Zloba Dnya” that he is afraid that his life is in danger. Bykhanov said unidentified individuals had thrown two bottles containing liquid explosives into his apartment window […]
(CJES/IFEX) – Fyodor Bykhanov, a journalist with the television and radio company RIF based in Biisk, Altai territory, announced on the 5 April 2007 broadcast of the programme “Zloba Dnya” that he is afraid that his life is in danger.
Bykhanov said unidentified individuals had thrown two bottles containing liquid explosives into his apartment window on 25 November 2006. The journalist and his wife were not asleep at the time of the incident and called for fire fighters.
“We sustained burns and several things in our apartment were burned. Police officers came and I told them I was a television journalist and had received many threats. I named the people whom I suspected of involvement in the incident. It was purely accident that we were not seriously hurt; I get scared just thinking of what would have happened if my wife and I had been asleep,” Bykhanov told CJES.
RIF recently filed an information request with the Biisk interior affairs department, which is in charge of the investigation into this case, but the law enforcement agencies refused to respond.
“The request was filed after we learned about the strange death of Aleisk journalist Vyacheslav Ifanov, who died on 5 April. After that incident, I began to seriously fear for my life because I continue working on critical programs,” said Bykhanov.
Bykhanov said he believes the police are dragging out the investigation into his situation. “The police are citing the secrecy of this investigation, but my colleagues and I are getting the impression that no investigation is being conducted at all,” said Bykhanov.
